Los Angeles Employment Lawyer

Slurs in the Workplace

Under both federal and state law, racial slurs, hateful language, racial or sexual pictures, and clothing depicting Klux Klux Klan and Confederate symbolism are all illegal in the workplace and create a hostile work environment. They are actionable under law because they violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

According to its definition, a slur is an insulting or disparaging remark or innuendo, with intent to shame or degrade. Slurs can involve content that is racial, ethnic, or sexual in nature. Slurs are considered a type of hate speech, which seeks to incite violence or prejudicial action against a person or group of people based on their age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or moral and political views. Because of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, the government cannot regulate speech although it can address the harmful effects of speech such as slurs or defamation.

A controversy central to the regulation of hate speech and slurs, especially in the workplace, is how to define what is considered acceptable or unacceptable. Personalized criticism of homosexuality, for example, is seen by some people as simply an expression of one’s opinions while others see the action as homophobic. Furthermore, some groups have chosen to “reclaim” derogatory comments used against them in order to shift the meaning of the word away from hate and a source of ill feelings.

Although a complicated subject, slurs generally hurt the overall feeling of acceptable and openness in the workplace. If you have experienced unacceptable comments against you, contact the Los Angeles Employment Lawyer Perry Smith to discuss your rights at 888.356.2529